BlackBerry Q5 going on sale early

The BlackBerry Q5 will debut ahead of schedule as the mobile phone arrives in a brand new company store in the United Arab Emirates.

It wasn't expected to arrive until July, but has made an early appearance to celebrate the grand opening of a BlackBerry store in Dubai. The QWERTY-toting handset has landed with a pricetag that stretches the concept of an "affordable" handset.

BlackBerry has marketed the Q5 as its budget-friendly smartphone, but it has emerged in Dubai costing AE$1,499, which is around £260.

However, strict currency conversions are never too reliable and it could be possible that by the time the Blackberry Q5 reaches the UK it will be a much lower price.